1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transaction managing apparatus and method which are used for a POS terminal that is used for sales of goods at a store in the distribution retail business, and to a recording medium in which a transaction managing program has been stored. More particularly, the invention relates to a transaction managing apparatus and method for a POS terminal, by which incomplete transactions, such as, deferred pickup transactions wherein the customer prepays for goods and receives them later (e.g., on another day), deferred payment sales wherein goods are previously delivered and the customer pays for them later (e.g., on another day), and the like, are managed and controlled, and to a recording medium in which a transaction managing program has been stored.
2. Description of the Related Art
In addition to normal sales of goods in the distribution retail business, wherein payment for and receipt of goods are simultaneously performed, there are incomplete transactions wherein payment is made as prepayment, postpayment, payment by installments, or the like, and wherein the goods are delivered as predelivery, postdelivery, delivery by installments, or the like. In the incomplete transaction, when the transaction is started with the prepayment or the predelivery of goods, the contents of the transaction are continuously managed until the delivery of the goods or the payment is completed. As for the incomplete transaction, the timing to sum up the sale (transaction amount) may be set to the start of the transaction or the end of the transaction (at the time of completion of the payment of the balance or at the time of the delivery of goods). Thereafter, it is necessary to sum up the sales at the determined timing.
However, in the conventional sales of goods, systems are provided for POS terminals in accordance with the kinds of incomplete transactions, such as, transaction of prepayment and postdelivery of goods, transaction of predelivery of goods and postpayment, and the like. Each of these systems individually manages its respective transactions and incomplete transactions are managed on the basis of transaction slips independently of such systems.
Therefore, the management of all of the incomplete transaction types understanding the situations, and the like, takes a long time, is difficult, and raises a possibility of improper management.